At our prize giving held on Wednesday 12th December, we honoured students whose hard work, determination, dispositions and integrity, personal growth and development, and excellent learning outcomes in 2018 place them among our top percentile of learners and encompass the very essence of our school values: Hauora, Relationships, Integrity, Innovation, Inspiration and Excellence.

These learners represent and illustrate the very foundations of the learning kaupapa of our school and were acknowledged in the ceremony surrounded by the awhi and support of their fellow learners, parents, coaches and our wider school community.

The four types of awards presented were:

• Toi Te Huatahi Award For Perseverance & Determination

• Te Tuhi O Manawatere Award for Excellence

• Te Wana Hui Tangata Hui Kainga Award for Integrity & Disposition

• Matanginui Award For Outstanding Contribution to OJC

We also gave special acknowledgement of our 2019 student leadership team and presented special awards presented to our six appointed Kāinga leaders for the coming school year, in a special category:

• Ngā Manutaki o Te Kāinga Honour of Future Leadership

Toi Te Huatahi Award For Perseverance & Determination 2018

Toitehuatahi (Toi Te Huatahi) is an important ancestor for the Ngaitai people and our local iwi have kindly gifted OJC this name to adorn our main pathway, linking Ormiston Primary School, Ormiston Junior College and Ormiston Senior College.
Toi is one of the very earliest Maori in Aotearoa and he came from Hawaiki many generations before the fleet of canoes (they are thought to have arrived around 1350), making him one of Aotearoa’s very earliest ancestors.
Toi visited the islands of the Hauraki Gulf. Because of Toi’s importance, eventually the collective islands of the Hauraki Gulf would be named in his honour, including important islands to all Aucklanders such as Rangitoto and Motutapu.
Nga poito o te Kupenga o Toi Te Huatahi means ‘the fishing net of Toi Te Huatahi’. Toi’s determination and perseverance convinces us all that he is the perfect name sake for this award.

Recipients: These students have consistently enhanced their success through grit and determination. They have a stellar work ethic and self manage well; persevering in the face of adversity.

Anushka Ram

Sean Yang

Avi Arora

Mouctika Chayanam

Oliver Tewatiya

Harleen Singh

Henry Liu

Niklesh Naidu

Madison Shaw

Vrishti Nair

Sarian Hona

Jershon Tutagalevao

Emma Imrutai

Josh Panaligan

Andy Tran

Ezat Mirzayi

Anas Mansour

Andrei Deo

Annie Sasian

Te Tuhi O Manawatere Award for Excellence 2018

On the foreshore to the east of Howick grows a large pòhutukawa tree known by the Ngài Tai people as “Te Tuhi a Manawatere” – the mark of Manawatere.
It is said that this ancestor came from Hawaiki. Tradition states that he did not come by canoe, but that he glided on the ripples of the waves on the back of a taniwha. He came by way of Thames and Maraetai and then to what is now known as Cockle Bay.
There he landed by the large pòhutukawa tree and made his tuhi (mark) thereupon using a red ochre substance known to the Màori as karamea. The mark he made was a sign to those following that he had come that way. Hence the proverb in respect to things or persons being lost and being searched for by Ngài Tai: “Ma te tuhi rapa a Manawatere ka kitea” (by the vivid mark of Manawatere it will be found).
The pòhutukawa on this spot maintains the rich red ochre when in flower. Manawatere is of huge significance to Ngai Tai and we are honoured that his name has been gifted to us to name our wonderful auditorium. For us Manawatere is synonymous with excellence.

Recipients: These students have demonstrated high quality learning outcomes across the school, striving for success. These students use multiple lenses in their learning and foster valuable learning relationships with others.

Judy Chheang

Malek Mansour

Sean Yang

Sadeen Abu Nada

Anas Mansour

Ved Shah

Mervlyn Prakash

Angelina Pham

Ayush Singh

Blaine Windley

Cinyee Poot

Andrei Deo

Pranjal Chand

Andy Tran

Aliza Kim

Prabhleen Sidhu

Dashiell Poh

Fiona Bui

Shirlena Rauwhero

Diya Diddee

Wesley Key

Justin Villaflores

Natasha Yong

Caleb Tran

Amy Fu

Te Wana Hui Tangata Hui Kainga Award for Integrity & Disposition 2018

Te Wana is the first chieftan to unite the Ngai Tai tribe, and we are incredibly privileged for our local iwi to have gifted us the use of his name. He came several generations after our other two important Ngai Tai leaders Toi & Manawatere. Te Wana’s full title is either Te Wana Hui Kainga or Te Wana Hui Tangata, because he united the hapu and whakapapa across our part of Auckland (Tamaki Makaurau).
He is therefore Te Wana, The Gatherer of Villages, and the Gatherer of People. Te Wana took in the coastal lands from the Tamaki River, eastwards via modern day Howick, to Whitford, Maraetai, Te Wairoa River, and on to Kawakawa Bay and Orere Point; then extended inland via Hunua Ranges to Te Paepaetahi (an old boundary line running from Papakura to Otara), with the whole area becoming known as Te Whenua o Te Wana (‘The Land Of Te Wana’).
Te Wana created a broader Ngai Tai consciousness, uniting many related hapu together in such a way that gave them dominion over lands and sea across a wide geographical area. As a gatherer of the people he is a fitting inspiration for our Integrity & Disposition Awards that recognise learners who embody the philosophy of OJC.

Recipients: These students have demonstrated emerging leadership skills, honesty and make contributions to the values and philosophies of OJC. These students support collegiality and consensus with others.

Preyesi Arora

Malek Mansour

Sadeen Abu Nada

Shivi Shankar

Prabhleen Sidhu

Snehal Sharma

Ezat Mirzayi

Dashiell Poh

Andy Tran

Alicia Choo

Azure Walker

Andrei Deo

Veen Mangat

Rudi Smit

Jordan Ireland

Aishwari Madduma Patabandige

Emma Imrutai

Wesley Key

Shawn Lee

Kaylee Wipani

Anas Mansour

Ngā Manuataki o Te Kāinga Honour of Future Leadership for 2019

Manu is the Māori term for Bird. Manu is also one of our school Kainga, next to Kapua, upstairs, which has yet to open as we continue to grow over the coming years. When birds take flight they often fly in formation cutting down the amount of energy each bird spends on the group task. The leading bird in this type of flight formation is called the Manutaki or leading bird who places themself at the point of the triangular formation.
Initially the Manutaki needs to do a lot of work to get the formation going and to send them toward their destination. But sometimes, as the leader, the Manutaki will also drop back to the side or back of the group and let others take their place at the front. The Manutaki will also use its call and encourage others to call, cheer and support the collective group in their pace of flight from behind. When required, they allow others to take the lead.
It’s fitting then that our student leadership team, be named Ngā Manutaki to te Kura and our Kāinga leaders, Ngā Manutaki o Te Kāinga - symbolic of the varying roles a leader must play to help the group achieve success.

Recipients: These students have been granted the opportunity and responsibility of leading the OJC student body in 2019...

Leadership Team:

Caitlin Purves

Alaia Zanif

Karleil Hewett

Margaret Franklin

Varshi Chand

Shreya Narayan

Khushi Rayat

Shrejal Ram

Daemon Irvine-Mea

Nathan Yong

Ngā Manutaki o Kāinga Aumoana:

Aditya Singh

Mervlyn Prakash

Ngā Manutaki o Kāinga Tohorā:

Andy Tran

Anushka Ram

Ngā Manutaki o Kāinga Kapua:

Pranjal Chand

Niklesh Naidu

Matanginui Award For Outstanding Contribution to OJC 2018

Ko Matanginui te maunga - Matanginui is our mountain – in terms of navigation it is our central landmark that can be seen from all directions and helped our ancestors as well as people in the modern day with our bearings.
It is therefore our beacon as a school. It embodies strength, unity and helps show the way. In maori culture mountains are central to Mihimihi – they represent a person’s relationship to Papatuanuku, the earth.
We could not think of a more fitting symbol for our Best Allrounder awards.  

Recipients: These students were nominated across all of the categories, meaning they each demonstrate determination, perseverance, excellence, leadership and embody the very essence of our OJC philosophy.

Andrei Deo

Andy Tran

Wesley Key

Cinyee Poot

Dashiell Poh

Mervlyn Prakash

Anas Mansour